The 243 male officers of the Rockford Police Department now have the option of sporting a beard on the job.

As many as a third of the men on the force have grown a beard since the decades-old policy against facial hair, except for trim mustaches, changed Jan. 31, said Lt. Patrick Hoey.

Long, “Duck Dynasty”-type beards still aren’t allowed. The beards can’t be more than one-half-inch long.

“It’s a huge hit” among officers, said Detective Shalene Eagleson. In her role on an officers committee, she researched the policies of some 20 police departments across the country before presenting her findings to Chief Chet Epperson. “It’s the trend, and it’s been the trend for quite some time,” she said.

The policy also was changed to allow female officers — there are 39 in the department — with longer hair to wear ponytails instead of just braids or buns on the top of their heads. “It gives you a little bit more freedom,” said officer Kaera Watson, who has been with the department for a year and wears a ponytail or bun at work.

Officer Josh Peterson has been wearing a beard full time for a month. “It’s a change,” said Peterson, who for the past 12 years on the force had shaved his beard before returning to work after hunting trips.

Sgt. Eric Bruno, who has been on the force for 21 years, said he started wearing a beard as something new to do. Beards are “in vogue” in popular culture, he said, noting Carson Daly, host of “The Voice,” and Matt Lauer, “Today” show anchor, wore them for months this year. Bruno said he’ll likely shave his beard this summer.

Bruno hasn’t heard complaints about plainclothes officers or detectives sporting facial hair, but he said some in the public “don’t like the officers in uniform wearing beards.”

Dominic Iasparro, deputy chief of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department, said sheriff’s deputies can’t wear beards. “The image of law enforcement needs to be clean-cut, professional, a military-style image,” he said. There are 134 sheriff’s deputies, including a dozen females.

The Philadelphia Police Department allows officers to wear beards, but only if a doctor says the policeman has a medical condition that shaving makes a problem, said department spokeswoman Christine O’Brien.

The Pittsfield Police Department in Pittsfield, Mass., has allowed trim beards since October, said John Murphy, a patrol officer. He is one of two to three dozen officers out of about 80 male officers sporting beards. “It does not affect the ability to do (police) calls,” he said.

Page 2 of 2 - Rockfordians I chatted with on Wednesday in downtown Rockford agree.

“It doesn’t matter,” said David Hansen, 32.

“It has nothing to do with their job,” said Charles Newble, 62.

“I don’t have a problem with it, as long as it’s nice and trim,” said Elaine Smallmon, 74.